The Nationals announced an agreement to re-sign veteran infielder Alcides Escobar to a one-year, Major League contract. The GSE Worldwide client will make $1MM for the 2022 campaign.
Acquired out of the Royals organization in a move that was originally intended to provide some stopgap depth, Escobar instead wound up turning in the most productive offensive season of his 12-year MLB career. The longtime defensive star and former World Series-winning Royals shortstop posted a .288/.340/.404 batting line through 349 plate appearances after coming over from the Kansas City organization.
In many ways, the decision to quickly re-sign Escobar mirrors last year’s approach with fellow infield veteran Josh Harrison. The Nats quickly re-signed Harrison to a one-year, $1MM contract that proved to be a bargain, and they’ll hope for similar results with Escobar, who’ll give them a multi-positional asset off the bench in 2022.
Looking ahead to next season, the Nationals are surely hopeful that well-regarded youngsters like Carter Kieboom (third base) and Luis Garcia (second base/shortstop) can stake a claim to long-term spots on the roster. Garcia has spent a bit of time at shortstop but was used much more at second base in both 2020 and 2021, even after the trade of Trea Turner this past summer. If that’s indeed Garcia’s long-term spot, there’s no clear heir-apparent at shortstop. Escobar’s return, then, makes some sense in providing a safety net, while still clocking in at an affordable enough rate that the Nats could pursue a more established option at short — be it via free agency or trade.
An eventual free-agent signing or swap of some note shouldn’t be firmly ruled out based on the Nationals’ deadline fire sale, either. While the club is clearly gearing up for what GM Mike Rizzo has termed a “reboot,” Rizzo has also pushed back on the notion of any sort of full-scale rebuild. The Nats’ intentions, by all accounts, are to return to competitiveness sooner than later, and adding a shortstop of note — even if it’s not one of the very top-of-the-market options this winter — would be a step in that direction. For now, Escobar provides some cover while retaining flexibility.
Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post first reported the Nationals had agreed to a one-year deal with Escobar. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported Escobar’s salary.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
But why
Because he was good for them.. almost 2 WAR in 2 months or so.. and a vet presence at a critical position in a transitional year.. As the article states its what they did with Josh Harrison last year… who had another good season.
Thank you for the answer 🙂
True, but holding your breath that a mid-thirties shortstop who has never been very good will suddenly turn a corner based upon a couple months? Good luck w that. My prediction: he will be released by the end of May. Not a lot of cost I am sure, so that’s good…but if you are serious about contending, he is a wasted roster spot.
The Nats aren’t serious about contending next year…
I wasn’t expecting so many relatively major MLB contract extensions to be handed out today. Escobar, From and before that, Senzatela. I like the Senzatela deal for Colorado but considering he was so bad last season I’m surprised they gave it to him this early. They could have kept him for at least 2 more years at a much cheaper cost and made him prove 2021 was no fluke. I don’t think he was ever going to get a ton on the free agent market so $50+ million when they still had multiple years of cheaper control seemed steep. If Senzatela falls apart at any point in the next 2 seasons the extension was just bad for the Rockies all around. They would have paid him more than necessary just to have the ability to pay him more than he would actually be worth. Since he showed this year he could pitch in Colorado I would have given him that contract as a free agent. The Rockies already had him under team control at a lower cost for 2 more years though so it seems like there was no reason to.
Harrison and Escobar are nothing alike at all though. Having big numbers in garbage time is meaningless and he would have been available in March. Weird move by a weird team. Why are they obsessed with scrub veterans? Basically begging Ryan Zimmerman to play next year is just bizarre.
It’s a low value depth move, nothing more. Signing an infielder for $1M/1yr says absolutely nothing about the team’s larger plans for 2022.
Zimmerman gives them good production for one or two million.
Lmao
Heck yes he is the man
Good for him. Better to get an early guarantee now.
yourcommentlol2
Let’s Go Brandon!!!
Perhaps a trade deadline piece, if he has a good year.
raise your hand if you saw this coming a year ago.
Not I.
huh did not see a 34 year ss that got released by the 2019 O’s making all the way back to soildness.
Its not like the Nationals were going to be players in the big SS market anyway.
This doesn’t preclude them from being in that market if they’d like at all.. it’s a 1M deal..
Of course it’s unlikely they will be.. they need to rebuild the pitching staff.
I think that was his point. Lock down the position with a solid stopgap cheap before the market gets crazy.
Not bad for the Nationals and Escobar.
Too bad Escobar wasn’t on the Padres. He would have gotten 3 years/$21M with player’s options…
Would any other MLB team even made him an offer though? Seems like a guy who would have lasted through March.
Escobar can at least be a good utility guy and veteran mentor, and he proved to be a good fit on the team in general. Re-signing him quickly is also an inexpensive gesture of thanks. Now it has been taken care of. No need to wait.
1.I have to believe he would have gotten a bit more in the open market…maybe even 1.2M
2. Nationals are throwing in the towel for 2022
3. Tough being a Nats fan right about now
Not tough being a Nats fan right now — reboot, not rebuild. Signing Escobar is hardly indicative of Washington throwing in the towel. But leave it to this forum to overthink and dramatize a 1 year/$1M to a player who deserved to be brought back.
Especially tough looking at that 2019 WS Championship banner, during the rebuild.
I see Correa going to the Tigers, reuniting with his ex-manager. They are looking to make a splash as 2022 starts their competitive window. But I can see the Nats going for one of either Javy, Simian.. etc. – free agent SS.
Solid, inexpensive, low-risk, signing that is good for Escobar (he earned this with a solid performance in DC, taking over for Turner), and the Nats. Very doubtful they were going to be in on any of the big $$ FA SS this winter. They have much bigger needs at 3B, SP and the Bullpen. It’s a rebuild year anyway, and they’re hoping to have Brady House at SS in the not-too-distant future.
I think his future position is more likely at third base.
No down-side to locking up a versatile veteran for $1 million (!). It provides the team with:
A/ An everyday shortstop: 1/ if they don’t pursue a big-name or 2/ if they don’t win the competition for one of those big-names or 3/ the organizaton believes that Brady House (just out of high school) will be ready by 2023.
B/ A player who can back-up 2nd, third, as well as SS if they bring in a big-name SS. Given that Garcia (at 2nd) and Kieboom (at 3rd) are not proven, that flexibility is worth a lot.
I see no reason to think Rizzo or the Lerner’s have given up on winning in 2022.. Right now, it all speculation (some of it non-sensical). about whether a competitive team is possible in the short-term. They may win or they may lose next year, but there will be a plan in place to be serious competitors by March. Meantime, Rizzo is not telling MLB TR or any of the fans on this board how he plans to get there. Wait and judge.
To the jerk who sees something nasty in the team’s willingness to bring back Ryan Zimmerman. Besides being a franchise icon, he can still hit: They need a platoon first-baseman and another PH/DH bat…a veteran in that role is .all the more important because next year’s team is going to be young and untested compared to recent Nats teams.